Saugus Wings remember MLB Hall of Fame player Tony Gwynn

Thursday

Jul 17, 2014 at 4:48 PMJul 17, 2014 at 4:48 PM

By Joe McConnelljmcconnell@wickedlocal.com

On the surface, there appears to be no connection between the town of Saugus, Massachusetts and former Major League Baseball player Tony Gwynn, who carved out a Hall of Fame career, spanning two decades (1982-2001), while playing some 3,000 miles away from the Boston suburb in San Diego, Calif. with the Padres.But three years ago in December 2011, the link was formed, when manager Mark Mitchell, and three of his players — Dan Cacciola, Victor DeMatteo and Joe O’Brien — of the New England Elite Baseball League [NEEBL] Saugus Wings ventured west over the Christmas break to participate in a college prospects camp sponsored by the San Diego State University baseball team and Gwynn, its longtime coach.The left-handed hitting Gwynn won eight batting titles with the Padres, while accumulating 3,141 career hits. He was a 15-time All-Star, recognized for his skills both on offense and defense with seven Silver Slugger and five Gold Glove Awards. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 in his first year of eligibility.But Gwynn was also all about giving back to the game, and coaching at his alma mater was a part of it, not to mention the aforementioned camp.Saugus natives Mitchell, Cacciola and DeMatteo will forever be grateful for the camp experience, and last week before a NEEBL game at World Series Park they had a chance to recall with fondness their close encounter with a baseball icon, who died of cancer last month on June 16 at the age of 54.Mitchell said it was an honor and privilege to spend time with Gwynn, who worked with the campers, and gave them a ton of advice on hitting a baseball. But the one aspect of his personality that will continue to resonate with Mitchell is Gwynn’s genuinely upbeat, positive nature."You could tell right away that [Gwynn] just loved the game," Mitchell said. "He was great with the kids, and also gave a nice 45-minute talk to all of the fathers and players on furthering their baseball careers after high school."Cacciola, who’s the captain of this year’s Wings team, knows his brief time with Gwynn benefited him quite a bit as a baseball player."I didn’t talk to [Gwynn] personally, but he gave a lot of good advice on hitting. I took his advice, and became a better hitter for it," Cacciola said. "He’d tell us see the ball, hit the ball, and keep it simple."DeMatteo was equally impressed to be in the presence of a Hall of Fame player."I thought it was really cool to meet him. He was a really good ballplayer — one of the all-time best — but also a really good guy," he said. "He gave us a lot of good advice, and I got a lot of good things from it. All of his [assistants and players] were great, and we also toured [San Diego State University]."DeMatteo enjoyed just sitting there and listening to Gwynn talk baseball, because it’s not every day a kid from Saugus has a chance to meet a former Major League player, especially one of his ilk.When he heard that Gwynn died last month, DeMatteo was saddened by the news. "He was one of my all-time favorite players, and then going to his camp, and seeing the facility and the way he runs things I could tell right away that he was a good guy. It’s just sad that he’s not with us anymore," DeMatteo said.Cacciola also couldn’t believe that Gwynn had died. "It was only three years ago when I saw him, and I’d never thought that he was on his way out," he said. "It’s tough, because he was such a great guy."Mitchell admits he’s a better coach, because of Gwynn. "He’d tell us coaches to keep things positive, and as simple as possible, while also making the game fun to keep the kids interested in playing the sport," Mitchell added.Spending just several days in San Diego was more than enough time for the Saugus Wings quartet to realize that Gwynn was larger than life in his hometown. But his impact goes well beyond its borders with a legacy that will last forever, especially in the hearts of three budding Saugus baseball stars.